Best of Budapest – doughnut places to check out

Budapest, the beautiful Hungarian capital city, has a lot to offer. From beautiful buildings, fascinating exhibitions and amazing cultural programmes, all the way to relaxing and healing thermal baths, everybody can find their perfect fit. This is the case when it comes to culinary pleasures as well. No matter what you are in the mood for, Budapest probably has an answer to your need – you just have to know where to look. No need to panic, though – we are here to help. As a first step, let us discuss doughnuts.

In Hungary, doughnuts have always been associated with winter and the time of the carnival (check out the recipe here). However, the doughnuts popular nowadays are more like the New York-style, ring-shaped ones that have Dutch origins from around 200 years ago. In recent years, the doughnut-craze reached Hungary at last as well, and several shops have popped up since then. In this article, we give a review of the best ones.

1. The Donut Library

The Donut Library opened their first shop back in 2012. Since then, they have become so popular that two additional shops were opened in the capital. The shops offer a calm and relaxing atmosphere perfect for friendly catch-ups or studying. They have various hot drink options, including coffees and hot chocolate, as well as iced drinks and fruit juices. They sell doughnuts filled with creams and jams and glazed with chocolate or sprinkled with different toppings. You can also choose a ring-shaped doughnut that has no filling but is richly decorated. Prices range from HUF 290 (EUR 0.89) to HUF 690 (EUR 2.13).

Photo: facebook.com/thedonutlibrary

The shops also have a small library that you can use on the spot or, if you want to, you can take home a book you really like, as long as you bring another one from your own library. This is their way of encouraging reading physical books and immersing ourselves in fictional worlds instead of being online and glued to our smartphones all the time.

In case you need more convincing, here are some reviews of the place:

“These fantastic doughnuts are to die for!!! 😉 I can recommend it to everyone!” (Ádám R., Facebook)

“The doughnuts are delicious, there is always a new taste to try, and the staff is lovely.” (TripAdvisor)

2. The Box Donut

The Box Donut opened in 2015, and they can also be found in several locations by now, not just in the capital. They decided to throw caution to the wind and go against tradition, creating doughnuts that are not in the shape of a ring – bold move. This innovation may throw some people off at first, after all, it is an unspoken rule that doughnuts are made into circles. However, we are pleased to report that, in this case, the quality and taste of the doughnuts are remarkable and not affected by the unique shape at all. If anything, it makes them more attractive and interesting.

Photo: facebook.hu/The Box Donut/

There are lots of doughnuts to choose from. The ‘basic’ section includes safe choices like a maple-glazed doughnut or one covered in Nutella. Fancier and bolder choices are the chilli chocolate doughnut or the truffle pomegranate doughnut, while the strawberry rhubarb and Eszterházy kinds are only available for a limited period.

This is what the people think:

“LOVE this place. The donuts are excellent, service is great and the soundtrack makes it easy for this writer to crank out some copy. It’s my Saturday go-to place!” (Alyssa S., Facebook)

“The best doughnut place(s) in Budapest! I’m a regular customer and have never been disappointed by any of their doughnuts!” (Magdi E., TripAdvisor)

3. Badass Coffee&Donut

The Badass Coffee&Donut company is lesser-known than the other ones, but their products and the raving reviews speak for themselves. They sell speciality coffees and a variety of doughnuts. If you feel like having something salty, though, there are also bagels, wraps and ‘salty doughnut sandwiches’ on offer. There is one catch, however: they are closed during the weekend, so lazy Sunday brunches are out.

Photo: facebook.com/pg/badasscoffeeanddonut

There is a diverse selection of doughnuts. You can find unique flavours here as well, like rosemary and peach, cognac cherry, peanut butter and jelly or Túrórudi. Halloween is fast approaching, so seasonally decorated doughnuts can also be bought.

Some thoughts on the shop:

“Great place for a coffee break. Lovely coffee and hot chocolate and this donuts, finger licking.” (Jacek S., Facebook)

“I wanted to try the ‘ice cream donut sandwich’ American speciality for a long time, which I could finally do here. I had no idea that was even possible in Hungary.” (Márk K., Facebook)